Join our Sisters of the Madonna Renewal Center this May for the annual Blue Nun Fun Run!
Join us for the 2024 Blue Nun Fun Run this May 11th! Race in a 5k or a 1-mile run/walk/trail run. Registration opens at 9 am, race starts at 10 am.
Registration and race start are at the parking lot of St. Rita Catholic Church. The cost is $40 plus individual fundraising (no minimum), and all entrants receive a race T-shirt! Enjoy a raffle and post-race snacks, too!
All proceeds benefit mothers at the Madonna Renewal Center in Freeport, Illinois.
Reconciliation Day is March 20 for St. Mary and St. Joseph parishes. Consider visiting on that day for any of the confession times listed. They can be heard in English or Spanish at any time.
El Día de la Reconciliación es el 20 de marzo para las parroquias de St. Mary y St. Joseph. Considere visitar ese día para cualquiera de los horarios de confesión enumerados. Se podrán escuchar en inglés o español en cualquier momento.
We will host representatives of the Catholic Christian Community from Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the Holy Land who will be displaying handcrafted olive wood religious figurines and articles. Due to the political conflict and the reduction of tourism, the Catholic Community has come to depend more on the sale of these articles abroad to survive and to keep their faith and Christian presence in the holy land The woodcarvings are beautiful and reflect faith and love for the Lord.
Please consider purchasing a gift that will be remembered and cherished for yourself or someone dear to you. The handcrafted olive wood religious figurines and articles will be available for purchase after all the weekend Masses.
We are preparing for the Lenten season of 2024! Below you will find our Mass Schedule for the special Holy Days. The first, second, third, and foruth Sundays of Lent will follow our normal scheduling. But for the days below, normal Mass times are cancelled and we will instead hold them during the listed times.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS – EVERY FRIDAY DURING LENT
12:00 pm at St. Joseph
5:30pm at St. Mary
Spanish Stations of the Cross will be on Thursdays after the 7:00pm Mass.
Durante la cuaresma se celebrara la Santa Misa a las 6:30 pm y los jueves despise de la Misa de las 7:00 pm se rezara el viacrucis
St. Mary Fish Fry!
Fridays during Lent, March 1st, 8th, 15th, & 22nd
5:00pm at the Holy Family Community Center
$18 Per Person
Dinner Includes: Fish entrée + salad, mixed vegetable (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots) fries or baked potato, dressing, soda or water, coffee a s cookies.
Dine in (coffee & cookies are dine in only) or carry out
Ash Wednesday – February 14th
· 8:00am Mass at St. Mary
· 5:30pm Mass at St. Joseph
· 7:00pm Mass at St. Mary (en español)
Holy Thursday – March 28th
· 7:00pm Mass at St. Mary (en español)
· 8:00pm Mass at St. Joseph
Holy Friday – March 29th
· 12:00pm at St. Mary
· 5:00pm Mass at St. Mary (en español)
Easter Vigil – March 30th
· 7:00pm Mass at St. Mary (en español)
· 8:00pm Mass at St. Joseph
Easter Sunday- March 31st
· 8:00am Mass at St. Mary
· 10:30am Mass at St. Joseph
· 12:00pm Mass at St. Mary (en español)
Please also attend our special series with guest speaker, John McGrath, coming up this February.
If you would like a color version to download and print, feel free to use our image below!
SUPPORT LIFE & LOVE FOR THE MADONNA RENEWAL CENTER JOIN US FOR A VALENTINES CHILI FEST!
Tickets: $10 Adult/ $5 Children Tickets available after Masses & at the door Ticket includes food, drinks, & entry ticket to win the fabulous door prize!
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church 1400 Kiwanis Dr. Freeport IL, 61032
Change For Life is our opportunity to come together as individuals and churches to help women in our community find the confidence to choose LIFE!
When you fill a baby bottle with change, you provide a woman considering abortion the chance to receive the support and medical services she needs to choose life. Because of the generosity of people like you, we saw 140 lives saved this past year! We believe that you can increase that number in 2024!
Will you partner with us in this easy way to make a life-saving impact? This year’s Change For Life campaign kicks off on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, January 21st. The campaign will wrap up on Sunday, February 18th. Our goal is to bring in $40,000! A little change from our pockets makes a BIG change in our community!
Generous individuals like you make it possible for women in our community considering abortion to find the hope of Christ and the courage they need to choose life.
Three ways you can participate . . .
1. Pick up a bottle at your church on Sunday, January 21st. Take it home, fill it with loose change (we accept bills and checks, too!), and return it to your church by February 18th. Call us at 815-232-5433 to arrange pick up and drop off of a bottle if your church doesn’t have any available for you.
3. Pray for abortion to be erased from our community. We have seen many women struggling with what to do regarding their pregnancy choose life when people like you have lifted them up in prayer. Prayer saves lives!
Below is the bulletin insert for the weekend of January 20-21st. Feel free to print or download this, and spread the news!
(Desplácese hacia abajo para ver la página en español (Continue scrolling for this page in Spanish))
Join thousands of Catholics nationwide praying for the protection of human life January 16-24. Sign up today at 9daysforlife.com!
9 Days for Life Novena
9 Days for Life is a novena for the protection of human life. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life.
Below, you may find a printable or downloadable document to guide you through each day of prayer.
Intercession: May the tragic practice of abortion end.
Prayers: Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be
Reflection: At every stage and in every circumstance, we are held in existence by God’s love. The presence of an illness, disability, or other challenging situation never diminishes the value of a human life. God does not call us to perfection of appearance or abilities, but to perfection in love. Christ invites us to embrace our own lives and the lives of others as true gifts.
Abortion tragically rejects the truth that every life is a good and perfect gift, deserving protection. This violent practice ends the life of a human being at its very beginning and horribly wounds all those involved. But Christ came that we “might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10), taking on human flesh for the sake of our redemption. May our culture experience the power of God’s transforming love, that all eyes may be opened to the incredible beauty of every human life.
Acts of Reparation (Choose one.)
Take a break from television and movies today. Consider spending some of that time praying with today’s reflection.
Pray the short prayer “Every Life is Worth Living,” reflecting on the gift of human life. (The prayer is also available to order or download at usccb.org/worth-living.)
Offer some other sacrifice, prayer, or act of penance that you feel called to do for today’s intention.
One Step Further: Abortion is frequently a topic in the news, political debates, and everyday conversations with family or friends. Because abortion can be a controversial and emotional issue in any arena, many of us may feel intimidated when the topic arises, not knowing what to say. “Another Look at Abortion” provides a basic overview and summarizes key points. This article will help you be better prepared to witness to the sanctity of human life: respectlife.org/another-look-at-abortion.
For more information and resources on the Pro-Life Novena, and more, visit respectlife.org
Únete a los católicos de todo el país para rezar por la protección de la vida humana del 16 al 24 de enero. ¡Inscríbete hoy en 9daysforlife.com!
Novena 9 Días por la Vida
Esta es la traducción al español de 9 Días por la Vida, una novena para la protección de la vida humana. La intención de cada día está acompañada por una reflexión breve y sugerencias para actividades que ayuden a construir la cultura de la vida.
A continuación puede encontrar un documento imprimible o descargable que lo guiará a través de cada día de oración.
Intercesión: Que la trágica práctica del aborto llegue a su fin.
Oraciones: Padre nuestro, 3 Ave Marías, Gloria
Reflexión: En cada etapa y en cada circunstancia, somos sostenidos en la existencia por el amor de Dios. La presencia de una enfermedad, discapacidad u otra circunstancia desafiante nunca disminuye el valor de una vida humana. Dios no nos llama a la perfección de las apariencias o habilidades, sino a la perfección en el amor. Cristo nos invita a abrazar nuestra propia vida y la de los demás como verdaderos dones.
El aborto rechaza trágicamente la verdad de que cada vida es un don bueno y perfecto, que merece protección. Esta práctica violenta pone fin a la vida de un ser humano en su mismo principio y hiere horriblemente a todos los que implica. Pero Cristo vino para que “tengan Vida, y la tengan en abundancia” (Juan10,10), asumiendo la carne humana por nuestra redención. Que nuestra cultura conozca el poder del amor transformador de Dios, para que todos los ojos se abran a la increíble belleza de cada vida humana.
Actos de reparación (Elige uno.)
Descansa hoy de la televisión y las películas. Considera pasar algo de ese tiempo orando con la reflexión de hoy.
Concédenos la humildad de aceptarayuda si la necesitamos,y enséñanos a ser misericordiosos con todos.Que otros encuentren por nuestras palabras y acciones, el abrazode Tu misericordia.Te lo pedimos porCristo, nuestro Señor. Amén.
Padre celestial, graciaspor el preciado don de la vida.Ayúdanos a valorar y protegereste don, incluso si hay temor,dolor y sufrimiento.Danos amor por todas las personas,en especial los más vulnerables,y ayúdanos a dar testimonio de laverdad que toda vida merece vivir.
Reza la breve oración “Cada vida merece vivir”, reflexionando sobre el don de la vida humana. (La oración también está disponible para pedirla o bajarla de usccb.org/es/cada-vida-merece-vivir.)
Ofrece algún otro sacrificio, oración o acto de penitencia que te sientas llamado a hacer por la intención de hoy.
Paso adicional: El aborto es un tema frecuente en las noticias, debates políticos y conversaciones cotidianas con familiares o amigos. Debido a que el aborto puede ser una cuestión controvertida y emocional en cualquier ámbito, muchos podemos sentirnos intimidados cuando surge el tema, sin saber qué decir. “Otra mirada al aborto” presenta un panorama básico y resume puntos clave. Este artículo te ayudará a prepararte mejor para dar testimonio de la santidad de la vida humana: es.respectlife.org/another-look-at-abortion.
Please join us on December 24th at St. Joseph for the Christmas Eve Mass! We will be starting caroling and singing at 3:30pm and we will feature our full choir concert ensemble for this special occasion.
We hope you will join us!
There will be no Daily Masses for the week of December 26th through the 31st. If you offered a Mass Intention for this week, they will still be honored by Father McMorrow during his Masses in Alaska!